‘Arsenal will be super-motivated’ – Everton need to be at their best again says Sørensen | OneFootball

Everton manager Brian Sørensen says that his side will need to be on top form if they are to defy the odds again and get a result against Arsenal this weekend.

The Toffees recorded a famous 1-0 win at Chelsea last time out as they ended Blues boss Sonia Bompastor’s 31-game unbeaten run in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

Arsenal are up next for Everton at Goodison Park. When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Everton boss Sørensen said that The Gunners will be well-prepared and it’s unlikely that they’ll under-estimate his side after Chelsea’s defeat last weekend.

“It’s tricky,” Sørensen said. “Can lightening strike twice? It can but we are also realistic. Arsenal will be super-motivated, it’s not as if they’re going to come and under-estimate us.

“We have to be at our best. We have to be better on the ball throughout. We were at Chelsea and we were actually limiting them chances until the last 10 minutes. Until the 80-minute mark, they weren’t creating massive chances; it was where we were allowing crosses to come in, shots from distance, where we put our bodies on the line and blocked very well. We showed our character and really held on in the last 10 minutes. It was a difficult time because they were throwing absolutely everything at us.

“Arsenal are going to be super-motivated, really turned on because they know if they come in 80-90 percent, we will have a chance.”

Reflecting on the win at Chelsea, Sørensen said that confidence has been boosted in the Everton camp off the back of a tough start to the season.

He said “For sure, it was good for the confidence. It’s been a slow start to the season and it’s been quite tough because we’ve had to change things around so many times. Now, it seems like we have a little bit of consistency and that really paid off.

“The girls were excellent. They really didn’t want to lose that game, so it’s good.”

Everton are yet to pick up points at Goodison Park this season and Sørensen highlighted the fine margins that have gone against his side so far.

He said “In the beginning, there was a pressure because we really wanted to [get that first home win]. The first couple of games, I felt that we were a bit paralysed in our performance, not the same energy level and so on.

“When we win, it’s because the girls are doing amazing and when we lose, it’s my fault because I haven’t set it up right. I don’t differentiate between home and away; we try to work the same way throughout the week, have the same game plan, making sure that we give the trust and freedom to the players to execute what we set out to do. It’s all about energy, making sure that we find the right balance in the team. We probably didn’t get that right in the first game at home.

“It’s a tough league and it’s small margins. Against London City, if we score early, maybe we get on top but they score and win 2-1. It’s those little margins throughout 90 minutes that you have to try to get on your side. Hopefully, we can end [the year] in a positive way against for me, one of the best teams in the country by a mile. It’s a tough task.”

Everton’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Arsenal kicks-off at 12pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets are on general sale and can be purchased by clicking here.